On the surface, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett's proposal to institute a tax on single-use shopping bags sounds a whole lot like the one that we've grown so accustomed to inside the ol' D. of C. It's the same amount per bag (five cents), there will be exemptions (like pharmacies, farmers markets and takeout joints) and revenues from the tax will go toward waterway cleanup and preservation. Of course, the one thing that Leggett's proposal has that the District's didn't is a competing bill, one that could find Montgomery County out of step with the remainder of the state. more ›

Is Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett a closet DCist reader? Perhaps, since this idea is ripped straight from the comments on our posts about Molly: Leggett has proposed a new law which would allow authorities to fine dog (and cat) owners $500 if they tie up their animals in public without keeping an eye on them. more ›

Silver Spring's new Fillmore music hall will be getting an $800,000 tax break over ten years under a law proposed by Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett. The proposed measure applies to the county's arts districts in Wheaton, Silver Spring, and Bethesda, and a county memo says the only projects eligible for the tax break would be the Fillmore and any condos units in a Bethesda building, the Trillium, that are occupied by "certified" artists or arts groups. The music hall, to be run by Live Nation, is expected to open in late 2009 or 2010. The agreement between the county and Live Nation has been criticized for being a sweetheart deal. more ›